One Must Fall 2097

The Good
The first time I played this game I admired it for it's great graphics which were also quite fast with my 'powerful' 486 33 MHz. Last year I tried to play this game again and to my surprise I found myself addicted to the classic once again. The graphics are just 320x200, but that doesen't matter too much. When I had finished the single player game, I started to play against my friends and that was FUN. I mean FUN! fun fun fun fun... Sorry.... You really have to play this game against a friend. It's full of odd tactics etc.

The Bad
The single player game was a bit easy, but I guess I played the game more than many other people. Also as mentioned before the game has only low resolution, but that doesen't keep you from enjoying the wonderful gameplay. The worst thing is trying to get this game run on a modern computer. Luckily I have an old one sitting beside me, so no problem there for me.

The Bottom Line
Beat the computer or your friend with a large robot. Now that this game is finally free (great decision from the developer btw), you just don't have a choice here - DOWNLOAD THIS GAME NOW!

The Good
Tournament play adds an unmatched RPG quality and makes for great replayability, and user addons as well. The unique pilot/robot system allows for over 100 possible combinations to fight with. News and tech reports after every fight add personality to the game. More secrets than any other fighting game I've ever played. There's always another hidden feature! A great sense of originality: each robot has completely different moves and looks. The arenas actually have an impact on your fight, from electric walls to jet plane attacks. Great music and sound (Epic's trademark).

The Bad
Most of the best features (like the air combos, super jumps, and block damage) are only accessible as secrets. Kind of annoying. Also, the announcer is repetitive the better you get (as you lose more badly, she gets funnier, though.)

The Bottom Line
I can't make the point enough times: THE BEST FIGHTER FOR THE PC. EVER. Similar games like Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, or Killer Instinct can do nothing against a game with over 40 different characters, almost no learning curve, and an RPG-style tournament mode that keeps you coming back for more. Not to mention the secret characters, moves, and even arenas!

The Good
This game is one of the very few 2D arcade fighter for the PC that really shine. It's original, fun to play, and still holds it's own after all these years. The graphics were very good and still work nowadays, but the real winner in this game are the tournament modes which are a great way of extending gameplay and were a first in 2-D arcade fighters. You can customize your 'bot in lots of ways, and offers an unique challenge that lasts a lot more than the standard "arcade/story" game mode.

The Bad
There are a lot of flaws with this game that will make it a not-so-hot game to the eyes of fighting aficionados. Mainly the lame special moves, the lack of scrolling arenas (which REALLY cramps up the action) and a strikingly slow-paced action, when compared to other beat 'em ups. Plus some of the bots are really lame.

The only other gripe I have with the game is a love or hate thing. Quite frankly giant bots are cool if they tear up cities and cause nuclear explosions when they fight. If you take stuff like that away the premise then gets really lame and I'm guessing most fighting veterans like me prefer the good 'ol "in your face" fist fights between humans than this "light" version of bot mashing.

The Bottom Line
For a PC gamer this is as good as it gets. It's original, it's got more gameplay and re-playability in it than those lame console ports and it delivers some serious fun. For those already versed in the world of "Sho-Ryu-Kens" this is no masterpiece, but it's still quite good and offers a nice change of pace.